Kig-Yar Privateer Alliance
Formed after the fragmentation of the Covenant, the Kig-Yar Privateer Alliance is a major organisation encompassing thirteen star systems and dozens of planets, planetoids and asteroid colonies. A loose collection of pirates, privateers and mercanaries, the Privateer Alliance managed to establish itself as a significant presence during the War of Vengeance, and while its allegiance was constantly shifting depending on who could provide it with better incentive to fight for their cause, they were eventually annihilated by the Sangheili Armed Forces in retaliation after rogue Privateer Alliance ships attacked the relatively minor colony world of Triumphant Virtue. History Infrastructure "Alliance" is a literal translation of the Kig-yar phrase. More accurately, the Privateer Alliance is a loose collection of privateer and mercenary groups that lease their services to other factions, in exchange for which they are paid handsomely, either financially, with tradeable relics, or in starships, always a vital commodity in the days after the Schism. Each group is answerable to the Kig-yar Hegemon, but rivalries and differences mean that conflict between different groups is almost constant. Though supposedly based in the Y'Deio System, the Kig-yar home system, major bases are located in nearly thirteen star systems, home to hundreds of Kig-yar colony planets, planetoids and asteroids. The mining wealth of these systems is a secondary concern - each of these systems is located conveniently close to shipping routes of major factions, where ships drop out of slipspace for refuel and resupply. Standard operating procedure for Kig-yar raiders is to jump in-system when a small probe alerts the base to the presence of a ship, keeping their distance until they can confirm whether it is a freighter or warship - after that stage, the freighter is disabled with pulse laser fire, crippling the engines, slipspace drive, and whatever defences they may possess. Afterwards, the disabled freighter is boarded by Kig-yar boarding teams, and the ship is attached to the raider ships to be towed back to the base to be unloaded and stripped of useful parts and materials. If they crew aren't entirely slaughtered in the boarding raids, they are sold as slaves to wealthy Kig-yar clansmen. Though usually located near the larger Kig-yar colonies, for ease of transporting captured materiel, most Privateer Alliance bases make use of small, terraformed asteroids to inhabit. Should the system be invaded, this is a perfect defence mechanism - it obscures the Privateers own movements, as well as blocking direct enemy fire. Destroying a Kig-yar asteroid colony is difficult work, and is often not worth the trouble - during the end days of the War of Vengeance, a common Sangheili tactic was to simply annihilate the nearby colonies, denying the Privateers a source of resupply, blockading the region until they starved to death or tried to surrender. Quote *"The use of "alliance" is misleading. Essentially, it is made up of a loose organisation of rival mercenary/privateer groups, working to gain as much profit as possible, hiring themselves out to anyone - the Blood Covenant, the New Covenant, the Elites, they don't really care." *"The Sangheili tolerated their existence because they also preyed upon the New Covenant and Blood Covenant, but their attack on Triumphant Declaration changed that. They brought their destruction upon themselves." *"Have you seen some of their ships? Cobbled-together pieces of crapthat are barely space-worthy. You'd think they could do better with access to Covenant technology, but no, apparently not." *"Bah, they were worthless at Expansive Judgement. We gave them colonies and ships, and in exchange they were to give us warriors and guard the refinery facilities - they failed on both accounts!" Category:War of Vengeance Category:Covenant remnants